Striking UC medical workers pinch their pennies

May 21, 2013

Updated 1:17 p.m.

1 of 4

Heavy equipment operator Leo Tolliver, 56, of Riverside joins in during a noon rally outside UCI Medical Center. Tolliver is a single father with a 13-year old son and is a heavy machinery operator at the UC Riverside medical campus. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 4

Heavy Equipment operator Leo Tolliver, 56, of Riverside joins in during a noon rally with his son Leo Jr. Tolliver is a single father with a 13-year old son and works as a heavy machinery operator at the UC Riverside medical campus. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 4

X-ray technician Raylene Warren, 38, of Irvine joins in during a rally as hundreds of patient care and technical workers demonstrate over staffing and pension issues at UCI Medical Center in Orange Tuesday. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers spearheaded the strike by its nearly 13,000 medical workers at five University of California medical centers across the state. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Heavy equipment operator Leo Tolliver, 56, of Riverside joins in during a noon rally outside UCI Medical Center. Tolliver is a single father with a 13-year old son and is a heavy machinery operator at the UC Riverside medical campus.KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ORANGE – Leo Tolliver Jr. wants to see “Iron Man 3” this weekend. But after his dad lost pay taking part in a strike at UCI Medical Center on Tuesday, it might end up being a Redbox rental kind of weekend instead.

“I guess we'd probably see ‘A Haunted House' with Cedric the Entertainer,” Tolliver said. “But it's OK because it (the strike) will help him with his job.”

The 13-year-old stood next to his dad on a grassy embankment outside the sprawling medical complex in Orange as striking workers with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees flexed their muscle in a statewide walkout at University of California medical centers in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Davis and Orange County. They're wrangling with UC officials over contract issues as large as an increase in pension contributions and as small as raised parking costs.

Yes, it's come to that – two tickets to see the blockbuster movie at $24 or a DVD from the ubiquitous Redbox locations that peddle movies for 99 cents. And that's just entertainment.

Leo Tolliver Sr. pointed to his son's shoes. “He's growing and goes through shoes constantly,” he said. “How am I supposed to afford new shoes for him?”

The 56-year-old then laid out his finances.

As a heavy machinery operator at the UC Riverside medical campus, Tolliver said he clears about $2,000 a month. That's after taxes, his health premium deductions and pension contribution of about $190. He also pays about $45 a month for parking – which he said would shoot up to about $55 under the proposed contract.

He's got a mortgage of $1,300 a month. He fills up his 1994 Ford Ranger (“my old gal”) a little more than twice a month, and it's been sucking up fuel at a rate of about $80 for each fill-up. With 142,000 miles on it, Tolliver said he thought about finally getting something newer. But when he went to the dealership to see about a 2007 truck, the salesman told him he'd need to put about $1,500 down to get a monthly payment of about $350.

The math didn't add up – especially when the pension contribution increases, he said, would cut into his take-home pay and force him to work longer. Maybe until he was 65 or 70.

A strapping single father with a goatee, Tolliver said he wants to be able to take his son dirt bike riding or go to the movies or In-N-Out Burger. But with gas prices and the overall cost of living on the rise, he said the strike is a line in the sand.

Not far from where Tolliver stood in the shade during Tuesday's rally, 38-year-old Raylene Warren clutched a picket sign in an adjacent parking lot.

Warren has worked in the X-ray department at UCI Medical Center for 12 years and said the rise in the pension contribution amounted to a pay cut. She said rising health care premiums put her in a position where she had to wring every last mile out of her 10-year-old Honda Odyssey. A year ago, she finally exchanged the aging minivan and its series of engine problems for a monthly car payment on a Toyota Corolla. That brought higher insurance and registration fees.

Warren's health insurance plan covers her husband and 21-year-old son, who's off at a Christian college in Oregon studying to be a missionary. Her husband is in construction and is an independent contractor with no benefits. And she said the cost of that coverage continues to climb.

She said this means there is a great reliance on the promise of the pension in her house, which led to her tough choice to walk out.

“I prayed about it every day, including on my way in this morning,” Warren said. “But I felt like it was the right choice.”

Losing even two days of pay meant limited grocery shopping or trying to cut down on trips in the car that would burn up the gasoline budget.

Warren said while it's tight for her, the continued squeeze is even harder on employees making less than her on a daily basis. She said it was worth the sacrifice.

“I'd rather lose out on two days of pay now rather than lose it down the road,” Warren said.

Related Links

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.